The deadline for survivors of the summer flooding in northwest Missouri to register with the Federal Emergency Management Agency is Monday, Dec. 12, 2011.

To date, more than $7 million in federal grants and loans has been approved for assistance to more than 800 flood survivors. Assistance may include FEMA grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-interest disaster loans from the U. S. Small Business Administration, and other programs to help survivors recover from the effects of a disaster.

Applicants may register for assistance or check the status of their registration by calling FEMA’s toll-free registration line, 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). If the applicant has a speech disability or hearing loss and uses a TTY, call 1-800-462-7585 directly; if the applicant uses 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. FEMA phone lines are open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week. Multilingual operators are available. Registration may also be completed online at www.disasterassistance.gov or by smartphone at m.fema.gov.

Dec. 12 is also the deadline to submit SBA disaster loan applications for property damage. To date, SBA has approved more than $5.1 million in federal disaster loans to help Missouri residents and businesses recover from disaster losses.

SBA offers disaster loans to homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations to help pay for repair or replacement of disaster-damaged property. Loan amounts may be up to $200,000 for a primary residence, $40,000 for personal property and $2 million for a business. Interest rates may be as low as 2.688 percent for homeowners and renters, 3 percent for private nonprofit organizations and 4 percent for businesses.

Homeowners and renters should submit the SBA disaster loan application, even if they are not sure if they will need or want a loan. There are no fees or costs to apply and applicants will have the time they need to decide if they want the loan. If SBA cannot approve their application, in most cases they refer the applicant to FEMA’s Other Needs Assistance (ONA) program for possible additional assistance.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is the federal government’s primary source of money for the long-term rebuilding of disaster-damaged private property. SBA helps homeowners, renters, businesses of all sizes, and private non-profit organizations fund repairs or rebuilding efforts and covers the cost of replacing lost or disaster-damaged personal property. These disaster loans cover losses not fully compensated by insurance or other recoveries and do not duplicate benefits of other agencies or organizations.

Disaster recovery assistance is available without regard to race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status. If you or someone you know has been discriminated against, call FEMA toll-free at 800-621-FEMA (3362). Those with a speech disability or hearing loss who use a TTY, call 1-800-462-7585; or use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS) to call 1-800-621-3362.